


One-Sided Love

by Miraculous_Lover



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien (accidentally) cheats, Adrinette Happy Ending, Angst, Cheating, F/M, Fluff, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Identity Reveal, Impulsive Adrien Agreste, Romance, Strong Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29627268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraculous_Lover/pseuds/Miraculous_Lover
Summary: Adrien tries to make an excuse for the one-sided love in his and Kagami's relationship because he still loves Ladybug.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I made this a little while ago and spruced it up a bit so I could post it.
> 
> Enjoy! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also just so you know, I rated this fiction Teens And Up purely for the fact that there is a bit of cheating, only because of a kiss, but thought I'd mention it anyway.

**_Adrien’s Room - Adrien’s POV_ **

Adrien had just gotten home from fencing and had a long day ahead of him of Chinese lessons, piano lessons, and photoshoots. He sat on his bed and took out his phone to check if there had been any recent akuma attacks while he’d been at fencing practice, then texted Kagami to ask if she could hang out.

“Her mother probably won’t let her, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right?” Adrien looked up at his cheese-loving kwami as he waited for a reply.

“Sure..” Plagg chewed then shrugged. “As long as your father is okay with it.”

“Since when do you care about my father’s approval?” Adrien pursed his lips.

“Well, if you keep up the good behavior we might be able to go to another one of your class trips. Even better, I could start collecting cheeses from all over the world!” Plagg smirked, looking through a cheese magazine. Adrien rolled his eyes and quickly sat up again to hear his phone chime, Kagami had probably texted back. That was quick-

Oh. It was Marinette?

 _Text from Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ : Hey Adrien! Just making sure you're coming to Alya’s surprise party next week, can't wait! If you can’t make it, just let me know. I’m sure she’ll be okay with it. Hope to see you there! xoxo

“I almost forgot! No wonder my father let me have a small schedule next week, I totally blanked.” Adrien sighed, facepalming. 

“Since you forgot to get her a present, you could give her some late cheese-”

“Don’t be silly Plagg, I’m not getting Alya any cheese. I already made sure to ask Nathalie if I could buy a present earlier this week.” His phone chimed again, but this time it was Kagami.

 _Text from Kagami Tsurugi_ : Sorry, I can’t make it tonight, I have to go to a charity event with my mom. Maybe another time?

Adrien Agreste: Oh yea, I figured you’d be busy, didn’t hurt to ask though. Talk to you later then. xoxo

Kagami Tsurugi: See you tomorrow, Adrien. xxx

“At Least you won’t have to ask for plus two at your friend’s party, no way I’d let you have all the fun without me!” Plagg snickered.

“That’s not for a week Plagg, but I might just have to sneak you in, can’t let all the cheese go to waste.” Adrien mocked his kwami until finally getting up to do his piano lessons. “I have to go meet with Ladybug tonight anyway.”

**_Marinette’s Bedroom - Marinette’s POV_ **

“I think I added one too many x’s and o’s! I just wanted to seem sincere, maybe it was too sincere? He’ll definitely think something weird and then he’ll stop talking to me!”

“Marinette… I thought you said you were gonna get over your heart-stopping crush on Adrien. I know you’ve tried really hard ever since your trip, but it’s been months, he has a girlfriend now, Marinette.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry Tikki. It’s just…” Marinette sighed deeply. “I can’t just make all those feelings of almost two years just- _poof_ away and disappear! I’m always gonna have some lingering admiration for him. I don’t expect you to understand, I don’t think _you_ have any love for a certain pesky Cat kwami?” Marinette tried to steer the conversation but Tikki wouldn’t let it completely steer in a different direction.

“That’s different Marinette. I can’t believe I’m admitting this but.. Plagg and I don’t… have one-sided feelings. _Adrien_ is already happily dating Kagami. I know it’s hard Marinette, but maybe you can try to focus on reciprocating those feelings to… someone else? Like Luka...or I don't know _Chat Noir?_ ”

“Are you out of your mind, Tikki? There is _no_ way I’m gonna do the one thing Chat has always wanted from the _day_ we met! Especially out of the blue, and… I- what if he’s already gotten over Ladybug? I can’t risk humiliating myself in front of him because he doesn’t hold feelings for me anymore, and before you say ‘Marinette, you just said so yourself that it’s hard to get rid of those kinds of feelings,’ Some people move on quicker than others... We’re very diverse. Besides, it’ll get too complicated if we accidentally reveal our identities while Hawk Moth is still a threat.”

“Oh... Marinette. It’s okay to be scared of your own feelings, there’s nothing wrong with having feelings for Chat Noir. You can figure that out together, and you have me and Plagg to help you. Although I don’t think Plagg will be much of a help.”

“I’m already with Luka.. sorta? There’s nothing official yet but Luka’s a great guy! And there are so much more pros than cons to dating him.” Marinette sighed. As she thought about it more, there was no point in dating someone who was a third option. It wasn’t fair to Luka if she just picked him on principle and not because she genuinely _wanted_ to have a relationship with him. 

“I’ll think about it, it’s complicated. How would I explain to my friends that I’m dating someone in that manner?” Marinette would have been.. open to trying something with Chat Noir, but… there were certain restrictions that she couldn’t bypass without her friends being curious. “It’s not like I can flat out say, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m a superhero and I’m dating another superhero which is why I can’t exactly tell you who they are because _I_ don’t even know their identity.’ That’s obviously just _not_ gonna work.”

“Fine, we can talk about that another time. On the topic of superheroes, maybe right now we should focus on correcting Alya’s birthday present?”

“Oh right! I almost forgot that’s why I texted Adrien in the first place!”

“Are you done with the notes? Remember there are things you can’t talk about without revealing your identities.” Tikki flew over to the notepad from earlier and put it on Marinette’s desk.

“How _many_ things can we talk about? I don’t want to jeopardize leaking out _any_ information that could lead Hawk Moth to find out our identities. I have to be sure, especially now that I’m the guardian.”

“Don’t worry Marinette, you’ll be fine. Chat Noir will help answer some questions too! Alya will be thrilled to have an interview with you guys about your powers and how they work. Maybe you can even clarify why they can’t figure out your guys' identities, and therefore shouldn’t even try to find them out?”

“That’s a great idea Tikki! How could I ever do this without you?” Marinette sighed happily as she took some notes of what is off-limits to talk about and some question ideas she’d give Alya to start off.

“I don’t think you could!” They giggled as she continued to jot ideas down, then she signed it as Ladybug. “C’mon you’re gonna be late for your meeting with Chat Noir.”

“Hold on… let me just sign this quickly and- there! Let’s go.” Marinette transformed and put the envelope in her yoyo compact.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien makes a (very wrong) discovery after he talks to Ladybug, and Plagg talks to Tikki about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**_The Eiffel Tower - Adrien’s POV_ **

Adrien quickly finished up his last lesson of the day, and announced to Nathalie that he would be “going to sleep.” Instead, he transformed into Chat Noir to go meet with Ladybug about something she wanted to talk about.

 _“Hmm… I wonder what would happen if I just..”_ Chat Noir was sitting on the Eiffel Tower waiting for Ladybug when he got bored and took out the ladybug printed button and spammed it, laughing at the picture of Ladybug rolling her eyes at the constant meowing of the little cat toy.

“Desperate now are we? I thought _I_ was the one who called to talk.” Ladybug jumped onto the layer of the tower he was sitting on, as he gestured a hand for her to sit.

“What can I say, if you give a cat a toy, it’ll never stop playing with it.” Ladybug rolled her eyes playfully and sat down.

“Anyway... I wanted to talk about someone who pulled a bunch of strings and it took weeks for her to finally run into me and ask me if we could do her a favor. You remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Oh yeah! She was Multi Mouse, right? Why was she tracking you down? Did something bad happen to her?” Chat Noir worried a little, what would cause Marinette to go to such lengths to meet Ladybug again?

“What? Oh, no don’t worry. It’s nothing like that, her friend's birthday is coming up. You know Alya, she runs the Ladyblog? She asked me if we could do an interview for her, you know about our new abilities, me being the guardian. Things like that.”

“She went through all that trouble just to ask us for an interview for Alya?”

“Um- yeah! I guess so. She went through all that trouble, so I couldn’t say no! Anyway, I wanted to organize a date we could do the interview that works for both of us. Err- not like a _date,_ date, but like a time and place kind of thing haha…” 

“I know bugaboo. I’m done pursuing you, you can never take away my playful banter though, it’s part of my puursonality.” Chat jabbed a little elbow in her shoulder.

“Why did I see that one coming…” Ladybug facepalmed while shaking her head and took out the envelope from her compact. “Here read this. I’m gonna give it to Marinette to give to Alya as kind of a receipt that the interview is actually happening. I was hoping you could sign it too.”

_What to talk about during the interview_ _(included but not limited to)_

_-future power-ups_

_-ladybug as guardian_

_-quantum masking_

_-new superheroes_

_What is absolutely off-limits during the interview_

_-anything related to finding out our identities_

_-plans on how to defeat hawk moth_

_-ladybug and chat noir being “a thing”_

_Sincerely,_

_Ladybug & _

“I’m interested in this last one, ladybug and chat noir being “a thing” is off-limits to talk about? Are you suggesting that we could be a thing?” Chat Noir leaned closer having the biggest smirk on his face imaginable. Had she finally fallen for him and couldn’t take action? Such bad timing to start dating one of the only other girls he set eyes on.

“Wha- I.. No! Absolutely not! Don’t judge me, I had to put that in there. Remember Nadja Chammack? No way I’m arguing about something like that again, especially to a girl like Alya.” Ladybug huffed and crossed her arms. 

“Just joking around Minibug, besides I’m sure you already have a relationship as a civilian. Who wouldn’t be attracted to someone like you after all.”

“Yea.. yea I do. I mean- yeah I guess you could call it a relationship- nothing official of course, but it’s definitely getting somewhere.” Ladybug smiled to herself thinking of Luka and how great a guy he was.

“I’m glad you’re happy LB.” Chat Noir smiled sweetly then proceeded to talk about the interview. After a bit of back and forth, they set up a day and place in a little under two weeks from now. They both said their goodbyes and parted ways in different directions.  
  
  


**_Adrien’s Room_ **

Adrien came back into his room unsuspected that he ever left in the first place and got ready for bed. “I should text Kagami, see how she’s doing.” Adrien pulled out his phone.

“Great idea, see how your lady is doing!” Plagg agreed, biting into yet another wheel of stinky cheese.

“My lady? Are you trying to imply something Plagg?” Adrien pondered as he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

“What! Of course not. You stopped using that nickname on Ladybug, and she is your lady isn’t she? I see the chemistry between you too, Adrien.” This time Plagg really wasn't trying to suggest anything. He could feel the energy Adrien gave off and he felt the happiness when Adrien hung out with Kagami, it couldn't compare to his energy around Ladybug, but at least he was trying to get over her.

“Yea, I guess you could say she is my lady. But- we aren’t really…” Adrien’s sentence trailed off as his thoughts lingered.

“You aren’t really… what?” Plagg could smell his owner's rotten cheese from a mile away. Something was up, what was Adrien thinking?

“Anything official. Plagg what if... Kagami was Ladybug? I mean, she couldn’t hang out tonight, maybe because she had to meet with Chat Noir? She used the same word to describe our relationship. She has similar hair color, She’s strong, beautiful, smart.” Adrien’s mind was clearly blurred by love because he didn’t see the _obvious_ reason that Kagami definitely wasn’t Ladybug, being that she has been akumatized several times and even was Ryuko.

“Adrien! You really are sounding like smelly cheese.” The kwami groaned. On the bright side, at least he didn’t have a clue who Ladybug actually was. “Those are all just coincidences. There’s no way. Ladybug specifically said not to press each other's identities.” Plagg insisted.

“Fine, Plagg I won’t press any further. The lines match up way too well, and she doesn't know my identity so it’s okay.” Adrien got ready for bed and gave Kagami a quick call.

“Hey _milady_ , how was the charity event?” Adrien started.

“Your lady? What a... bold choice as a nickname, I like it. Maybe I should start calling you my prince. Anyway, the event was well.. very uneventful, I would have enjoyed it more if you were there though.” Kagami bantered. “I just got back, so I might have to go soon.”

“That’s okay, I was just seeing how you were doing since I finished all my lessons for the night and was about to go to sleep.”

“Thanks for checking up on me, Adrien. My mother is insisting I get ready for bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow at fencing practice. Have a good night.”

“Good night, Kagami.” Adrien had the sappiest smile as he hung up and curled into his bed to fall asleep. 

**_While Adrien is Asleep - Plagg’s POV_ **

Plagg flew over to Marinette’s to visit Tikki. They did this often enough to call it regular, they would normally just talk about how their human's lives were going so far. “Tikki! I have great news to share!” Plagg flew through the balcony trapdoor and called for Tikki.

“What would be so great, that you’d risk waking up Marinette, you stinky sock?” She crossed her arms as she led him to the chaise where they would normally sit and talk.

“Marinette’s secret identity is perfectly safe, and Adrien is nowhere near close to finding out who she is.” Plagg sat down while taking a bite of camembert that he had carried along with him.

“What is that supposed to mean? Don’t be so vague.”

“I mean Adrien thinks Ladybug is Kagami! I didn’t think the boy could get any dumber but here we are.” Plagg snickered.

“Kagami!? That’s an interesting choice. I do see the similarities though…” Tikki tilted her head in thought. “I know that normally I would agree that this is a good thing… but I had a conversation with Marinette today, and I kind of encouraged her to go for Chat Noir because… well her and Luka aren’t _really_ a thing so I thought maybe it would help her get over her feelings for Adrien?”

“Sugarcube… you do realize that to help her get over Adrien you’d be pairing her up with… Adrien? This is definitely one of your more creative ideas.”

“I know but every time she’s with Luka I can feel her distraction and she never gives him the love that he gives her. I just think that she needs to accept that she loves Chat Noir too and not just his civilian form.”

“But.. Adrien is pretty set that Ladybug is Kagami, I told him not to meddle but I don’t think I can change his mind.” Plagg sunk his teeth into his cheese again.

“Oh, Plagg… that’s not good. If he really thinks she's Kagami, he might do something really dumb! Can you promise to keep an eye on him and back him away from doing anything that could possibly reveal their identities too soon?” Tikki gave him a kiss on the forehead.

“Of course sugar cube! Don’t worry, I have everything under control.” Plagg smiled. “Can I get another kiss on the lips for my good behavior?” He pointed his little stub to his mouth.

“Don’t push it Plagg, you reek of stinky camembert.” The little red kwami backed away in hesitation and continued their midnight chat. Nothing could prepare the little creatures for what their owners would do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this fic a long time ago, and I didn't really want to change EVERYTHING about it so if it seems fast-paced, sorry about that. Hopefully, we're into that kind of thing! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien reveals his identity to Ladybug thinking it was Kagami. When he finds out it's not, he breaks things with Kagami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**_Paris Rooftop - Marinette’s POV_ **

Ladybug and Chat Noir had gotten very comfortable with each other these past weeks. They had a fun time doing that interview for Alya together and agreed to spend more time together. Ladybug was convinced that it was only as  _ friends _ , but Chat Noir would occasionally sneak in some side-cuddles that she would almost always accept. After every villain Hawk Moth set out was defeated, they sat on the Parisian rooftops and talked about anything really, as long as it had nothing pertaining to their civilian identities. Sometimes one of them was just on patrol and the other would bring them company. Now, Marinette had a reasonable excuse of course, because her feelings for Chat Noir had grown a lot more than just partners and she assumed that he had never outgrown his feelings for her. 

But no... Adrien’s reason for getting comfortable with her and being more flirtatious than usual was simply because he thought Ladybug was Kagami. Yup. He was still in that fixed mindset. Plagg even tried on  _ multiple _ occasions to tell him otherwise but the boy wouldn't listen. He was back to his old self with witty remarks that Ladybug would have to refuse, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing except for these times… she didn't really refuse them. Chat Noir didn't think anything of it though because he was too engulfed in his thoughts to realize how lenient she was being towards his flirtatious remarks lately. 

They were sitting on a rooftop right after the battle this evening. She had recharged quickly while he was helping some civilians, so she had more time to talk than Chat Noir did.

"So… my lady. How would you react if I just- started to hold your hand? Like… this."

Ladybug had just about short-circuited when he clasped his hand with hers. "I would ask why you're holding my hand right now?" She bit her lip nervously and furrowed her brows while smiling up at him in response.

"Well, then I would say… that's what two people do when they're a couple." Their hands were still interlocked, she could feel his ring vibrate and beep. Her cheeks were pink and warm.

"I don’t understand. Chaton, your ring, your about to-"

"I trust that it's really you bugaboo and that you'll be happy to know it's me." Chat Noir put in and leaned in closer. She knitted her eyebrows again in confusion, unsure what he was talking about. Her cheeks instantly turned crimson red when he leaned in closer and started gently kissing her, she closed her eyes and leaned into it, aware of a bright green light that surrounded them as he kissed her. She opened her eyes and-

Adrien. Chat Noir was Adrien.

Ladybug immediately pushed him off her chest and regretted ever wanting to kiss him. "What the heck! Adrien?!" Ladybug was slightly away from him now because of how she vigorously pushed him.

"Ouch. I thought cats scratched harder than bugs, my lady." 

"Are you out of your mind?! Don't ever call me that again. I am not your lady!"

"I mean I guess you're not, technically speaking. Want to make it official?" He grinned.

"Are- Are you seriously… Am I- E-Excuse me?" Ladybug was flabbergasted. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID cat! Argh what in the world, Adrien!" 

"I don't understand… I thought you'd be happy. I was sending all the small signals and everything! What did I miss, Kagami?"

Kagami? This idiot boy thought she was Kagami? Ladybug edged a smile of exasperation on her face. "K-Kagami? You… you think I’m-" She exhaled almost like a chuckle.

"You're not Kagami!?" His eyes immediately bulged open in horror and he covered his mouth. This was all Tikki’s fault! She was the one who encouraged Marinette to go after Chat Noir to get over  _ Adrien  _ in the first place! "Wow, you  _ really _ thought I was Kagami? She was akumatized! And- and… oh my god, She was Ryuko!" Ladybug could feel her cheeks heat up, but this time it's because she was absolutely infuriated at Chat’s completely unreasonable accusation of her identity. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt by reasoning that she did do a pretty good job hiding her identity, but she couldn’t process all this right now, Ladybug needed to think. "I… I just can't right now." Ladybug stood herself up and readied her yoyo. "Oh, and you better do something about Kagami soon, or so help me I  _ will _ tell her _. _ "

"Ladybug, wait I'm sorry!" But it was too late. She had bolted off the rooftop and out of his view. What had he done? He quickly transformed back and jumped back home to think about his mistake.

**_Adrien’s Room - Adrien’s POV_ **

“What have I done, Plagg?! I kissed Ladybug!” Adrien slouched down onto his couch holding his head to his temples.

“ _ That's _ what you’re worried about? I thought you'd be more worried about, well, you know, the fact that Ladybug isn't Kagami?”

“Yeah! I know.” Adrien closed his eyes and touched a finger on his lips. Was it wrong to feel so elated that he kissed  _ Ladybug _ ? She also seemed to like it. She might have leaned into it if he hadn't so stupidly decided to show her his identity. "How did I get it wrong? I feel so bad now… I’m a terrible person, how could I have been so careless?"

“I _ told _ you not to meddle, kid. What did you do? You went out and showed your identity to Ladybug, all because you thought she was Kagami!” Plagg grunted, still attached to his block of cheese. “Tikki’s gonna kill me…”

“I know, Plagg, I know. I just- I was  _ so _ sure that she was Kagami, she  _ had _ to have been Kagami…” Adrien insisted and sighed.

“Why, Adrien? Why did you so eagerly want Kagami to be Ladybug? Why can’t you just accept that-”

“Because-!” Adrien blurted and looked down at the ground. “Because… if she wasn’t Ladybug then- then… then I would feel so guilty for loving Ladybug and  _ not _ Kagami. I care for her so much, and I love spending time with Kagami, I do but it’s nothing compared to how my heart does somersaults every time I’m with Ladybug. Every time we pound it, every time she calls me  _ her _ kitty when we held each other's hands that  _ one _ time… just once and I never wanted to let go of the softness and warmth of her hand. When we kissed, oh I just-” Adrien let his sentence trail off. This was the only reason he wanted to believe Plagg’s cheesy remark wasn’t  _ just _ that and instead some slight hint at Ladybug’s identity so he wouldn’t have the gnawing feeling that he had when he thought about how much he  _ loved _ Ladybug and how guilty he felt for not loving Kagami. “As much as it hurts me to do this… I have to tell Kagami I can’t be with her, tomorrow after fencing practice.”

**_School Courtyard - Adrien’s POV_ **

Adrien was waiting for Kagami outside the locker rooms when she came to greet him. “Hey, Adrien. Is something wrong? You seem off today, I beat you without even hesitating and you didn’t even seem to mind.”

“Kagami… I-I’m sorry but, we can’t be together.” Adrien made direct eye contact with her, his mouth turning downwards with a look of guilt. “I’m so sorry.”

“What? Why not? Is it because we barely ever spend time together without our schedules clashing? I know it’s been a few months, and we haven’t really gone too far in our relationship but I really like you. We can make this work, please.” Kagami looked at Adrien in surprise.

“No, no, no! It’s not because of that, I don’t blame you for that. You’re amazing, really! It’s my fault. I-I realized that I’m still in love with someone else, and… I don’t want to lead you on if I’m thinking about another girl, it’s not right. I’m so sorry Kagami.” Adrien looked in no particular direction while avoiding Kagami’s eye contact.

She looked at him solemnly, brows furrowed, then in the direction he was looking at, which just so happened to have Marinette on the other side of the courtyard drawing in her sketchpad talking to Juleka. “I see… umm- okay, I can’t wait for you any longer, if this is what you really want. I wish you well with this girl.” She gave him a bitter-sweet smile and left.

Adrien leaned back on a nearby bench and closed his eyes. Plagg normally would just crack a joke, but he figured Adrien needed his support this time so he settled into Adrien’s neck and purred comfortingly. “It was for the best, kid.”

“I know, Plagg. It still stinks though.” Adrien swallowed his pride and stood up. As he walked out he saw Marinette and Juleka and waved at them as he passed by. He slumped into his ride that was already waiting for him and went into his thoughts.

On the bright side, Ladybug seemed to actually start warming up to him. If it wasn’t for his stupid mistake, he might have actually had a chance with her. He wondered how knowing his identity would change the way she acted around him. 

Obviously, she wasn’t expecting to find out his identity but he was hopeful nonetheless that she’d be happy it was him. Maybe she stopped pursuing this other boy she liked and  _ actually _ started falling for him instead. His previous demeanor had changed to a slightly giddy feeling. Adrien might have lost one very important relationship, but another one just might grow stronger. Yeah…

It would take some time but… he would be okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually, let me know if you like fast-paced stories or a slow burn or maybe a mix of them both. I could probably use that knowledge in my future fanfictions, thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat visits Marinette at her balcony and their identities are revealed to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**_Marinette’s Bedroom - Marinette’s POV_ **

“Do you think Adrien talked with Kagami?” Tikki asked as she clicked the ‘play again’ button for Marinette in her video game.

“I’m not sure… I saw him talking to Kagami after his fencing practice last week. I don’t know what he told her but they both looked kinda upset after the conversation, I guess that’s to be expected though. I hope Kagami isn’t too upset.” Marinette’s mouth curved into a frown. 

“I can’t believe he thought Ladybug was Kagami! Granted Ladybug and Kagami do have some similarities but I think Ladybug has more creativity and you’re a quick thinker.”

“I still can’t believe that  _ Adrien _ is Chat Noir and you knew but still  _ somehow _ decided to tell me to go for Chat when you knew that I was trying to get over him.” Marinette reminded her kwami, narrowing her eyes.

“Well in my defense, there’s nothing I can do to stop you from loving Adrien, so I just thought I’d introduce Adrien’s alter ego to you  _ romantically _ instead, I think I was right in doing so if it hadn’t been for his silly mistake.” Tikki countered.

Marinette blushed slightly, distracted from her game which made her lose. “Aww come on! I lost the game now.” She pouted while tossing her controller aside. She crawled up to her bed to open the trapdoor out to her balcony and sat on the patio chair. She took out her phone to call Alya, but it went to voicemail.

_ [This is Alya, can’t talk right now, feel free to leave a message!] _

“Well, that’s a bummer. She’s probably still watching that movie with Nino. I’ll just call her back later.” Marinette sat up from the chair and knelt on her balcony railing. Maybe Tikki was right, getting to know all of Adrien proved to be a good thing after all.

“ _ Feline _ lonely tonight, Marinette?” Chat popped out from behind her and onto the balcony railing perched up like a cat.

“A- uh, Chat!” Marinette jumped, shocked to see Chat Noir there at this time of night.

“The one and only.” He smirked, leaping down from the railing and onto Marinette’s balcony. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you only save citizens, not visit them.” She teased.

“I made an exception for you." Chat winked.

"You- You did? Just for little ol' me?" 

"What's that supposed to mean? You're amazing, princess! You helped us take down Evillustrator, remember?" Chat looked her deep in the eyes with admiration.

She blushed at the compliment and blinked. "So… what brings you out here on the rooftops of Paris at this time of night?"

"I guess I just had to clear my head. I've had a rough past few days…"

"Oh. Sorry to hear. Umm- Oh! I know just what will cheer you up! Come in." Marinette stood from her seat and motioned for him to follow.

"I don't know… If I'll be intruding I don't want to-"

"Nonsense! You won't be intruding, I needed someone to play video games with anyway!" She went over to her desk and started setting up a second controller.

"You already have this all set up?" Chat raised a brow.

"I was playing a few bot games but lost the last one because I was… distracted."

"You? Lose a game, I’m shocked!" Once he remembered he wasn't Adrien he quickly commented again with, "You know, because you seem like the type of person to be good at video games and all…" He nervously rubbed his neck and tried leaning on the desk only to miss dramatically, causing him to fall to the floor in embarrassment. At least it earned a giggle from Marinette.

"I thought cats landed on their feet." Marinette bit back a laugh while offering a hand to help him up. "Don’t worry, I’m way more of a klutz," Marinette reassured him as she took a seat and motioned for him to do the same.

"Thanks. Just a head's up, I'm pretty good at Ultimate Mecha Strike so I wouldn't be surprised if you lose." Chat Noir boasted.

"Oh? Is that so? Mhmm. Okay, great all the more reason to beat you!" She smiled and grabbed her controller as their first game started.

**One Hour Later**

"Yes! I won the tiebreaker, boom Marinette style!" Marinette dropped her controller on the desk like a mic then quickly picked it up again to make sure it was still intact. 

"Fine. Good game, I have to admit, you've got some serious video game skills." Chat pouted in defeat and put his controller down too and looked at Marinette. 

_ “Aw, he looked so a-dork-able with his little pout face, hah. Ugh, I've been spending too much time with this stupid pun-making tomcat. Wait, no. No, no, no. You can't be thinking like that, Marinette! He has a girlfriend, just because they're going through a rough patch does _ n't  _ mean you can think about how cute he is, or how nice his eyes are...” _ Marinette looked back at him too and noticed his emerald eyes shining so bright.

“Thanks for inviting me to play, Marinette. You were right, playing video games with you definitely made me forget about what was on my mind.” Chat spoke again, as they crawled up onto the balcony to say goodbye, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Oh… y-yeah. If you don't mind me asking… what is it that made you upset?" Marinette wanted to know more about what happened with Kagami, and if he really did think she was Ladybug.

"No, it's alright. It's just well… I got into this... problem with Ladybug because I thought her civilian identity as someone who wasn't actually her, and I kind of revealed my identity by kissing her, and it was a whole thing…"

"Oh…” She yawned quietly. It was getting a bit late, she thought as she looked up at the night sky. “Why did you think she was that other girl?"

"Well… to be honest, it was mostly because I realized I'm still in love with Ladybug, and maybe if Ka- maybe if the other girl was Ladybug it would fix the guilt that I hold when I think about the fact that I'm dating an awesome girl but have feelings for Ladybug too."

"O-Oh… Well, you-you shouldn't be guilty for loving someone Chat, it's not your fault your heart beats a little bit faster when you're around them, or that your stomach turns inside out every time they give you a compliment." Her lips slowly curled up as she remembered all those times he caught her when she tripped, or when he complimented her designs, even…  _ even _ all those flirty jokes and comments Chat would throw at her so often she got used to hearing his pun of the day.

"Who's the lucky guy who clearly caught your attention?" Chat Noir asked, almost a bit seriously. She faced him again and thought about her answer for a minute pensively.

"What- um... Oh. It’s... it’s- his name is... Adrien. H-He’s a… a classmate, and only a friend." Marinette frowned, slightly rolling her eyes. "I've tried plenty of times to tell him, but it just never worked out. He has a girlfriend though so I've been trying to convince myself that he's just a friend!" Might as well put everything on the table seeing as he just told her something very personal too, she thought.

"Oh… wow. Um- so, what if you found out he doesn't have a girlfriend anymore?"

"You don't!? I..I- I mean, I would probably still wait a while to tell him that I've been in love with him for almost two years, seeing as he just got out of a relationship. You’re probably- HE, He’s probably still heartbroken over it." 

Marinette tried correcting herself, but she bit her lip apprehensively when it looked like Chat had caught both of her slip-ups. "Marinette? Do you know that… that I’m-"

"What! I don't know what you’re talking about. Pfft, you? Adrien? No similarities at all! Ha-Ha… ha." She laughed, waving a hand, and biting her lip nervously still.

"How did you find out?"

Seeing no point in keeping up this charade, she answered his question with hesitation. "I… was um- I saw you guys from my balcony the other night. Yeah…" She pointed to her surroundings.

"Huh? But that can't be. We weren’t anywhere near the bakery… in fact, we were on the other side of the city." He furrowed his brows at the recollection.

Marinette mentally cursed at herself once she remembered that. "Did I say my balcony? W-What I meant to say was-"

"The only way you could have found out who I was from that high up, was if… you were there yourself, which can only mean… you-you’re Ladybug!"

"What! No way, you're crazy! Pfft, Ladybug? Me? We don't have a  _ thing _ in common." She waved her hand dismissing the idea and nervously bit her lip again, but he had already caught on and definitely wasn’t changing his mind.

"Yeah, you're without a doubt Ladybug." Chat chuckled, inspecting her as he came to his conclusion. "How could I not see it before? Same kindness, stubbornness, and those  _ gorgeous  _ bluebell eyes. You even bite your lip nervously like her when you're nervous, so adorable." Chat smiled widely at her.

"A-Ador… Adorable? Y-You think that's cute?" Marinette gulped, cheeks pink.

"Um… yeah, I do." He smiled at her sheepishly. After he stopped admiring how cute he thought she was, he looked down at his costume and then back at her, sighing. "I guess there's no point in keeping this on… Plagg, claws in."

Marinette shielded her eyes from the vibrant green that surrounded him and kept them like that a few seconds longer. She had already seen him detransform but seeing it again was only a reminder she didn’t necessarily want right now. "Well I guess now that the cat’s out of the bag…" Adrien looked up at her, smirking. 

That cheeky grin quickly disappeared into confusion when she harshly pushed him onto the wall. "Now that we know each other’s identity, I am pissed. How dare you kiss me while you had a damn girlfriend? AND you revealed your identity to me without properly thinking through the consequences!" At this point she pinned him to the wall as she tightened a grip on his shirt’s collar, brows fully furrowed. "You stupid cat! You're an absolute fool for thinking I was Kagami. We've literally fought her and  _ alongside _ her as Ryuko! Oh, oh, and what if I  _ was _ actually Kagami? You think everything would just be sunshine and rainbows, that's not how your little gesture turned out though, now did it?" She narrowed her eyes at him and finally let go of his shirt and sighed. Stepping back from the awestruck boy. “You’re lucky it was you under the mask, Adrien, or else my reaction to you revealing your identity would have been  _ much _ worse!” Marinette’s adrenaline from her anger was slowly wearing off and growing into drowsiness.

Adrien was taken aback at how angry Marinette was. "I guess I really didn't think it through that well… I'm sorry I put you in that position, Marinette. In my defense, I thought maybe Ladybug could have used the Fox Miraculous to make illusions or something. I’m sorry, Marinette." He was scared but also thought it was kinda hot seeing Marinette  _ angry, _ angry at him for the first time in a while, it was very unlike her quirky and nervous behavior when she talked to him before. Taking a leap of courage, and remembering that she had feelings for him, he pulled her back into their close quarters and whispered softly as he made eye contact with her. "I'm sorry, bug. I know this isn't really the best time, considering… everything. I'd completely understand if you said no… but can I kiss you right now?" 

Marinette paused for a moment, her cheeks feeling like there were heating pads on them. She then, suddenly cupped her hands on his face and closed her eyes as she leaned in to brush his lips against her own just as she did when she had to kiss him to break Dark Cupid's spell, except this time it was deeper, passionate, and more sincere. It almost felt like time stopped as they leaned into each other’s lips, so soft and caring. Before they knew it they were parting, and Marinette spoke once her shock had worn off. "Don't think that kiss softened the blow, I’m still mad at you, I just couldn't say no and make it awkward like I always do." She exhaled, a bit out of breath.

“You could never make it awkward.” He winked, as he tried to catch his breath too. “Besides, I was the one who wanted to kiss you, you had every right to say no, but since you didn’t…” He flashed a smile that seemed ‘cheeky Chat Noir’ and ‘model Agreste’ at the same time. Then he brushed himself off and made his way over to her patio chair as they continued their unexpected conversation.

“Well that’s no surprise, I did just tell you that I have a crush on you, right?” She clarified shyly. “It’s funny, I needed to get over my crush on you because you started dating Kagami, so Tikki told me to get over you- with you. Well, Chat Noir, but that’s basically the same thing now. I started liking you as Chat so I agreed pretty easily… you’re my partner, we've been through so much together, how could I ever think I wouldn’t start to develop feelings for you? I really need to talk to her about that sometime.” Marinette’s cheeks were still tinged pink in embarrassment, and professing her love to her longtime crush certainly didn’t make it any better.

“So you fell for me twice, didn’t you?” Adrien kept his previous mischievous grin as he chuckled.

‘What? I-I mean, I guess so...yeah.” Marinette’s face lit up with rouge again and hid her face in her hands bashfully. “You’re such a tease.” She huffed, trudging over to where Adrien was sitting.

“Of course, but only to you.” Marinette yawned again, this time for a little while longer, and carefully lifted herself onto Adrien’s lap to hug him close. She felt so warm and safe in his arms, she could stay there with him forever. He dropped his charming act pretty quickly and seemed a bit hesitant at first though. “I-I… Marinette?” Adrien held her meekly, looking at Marinette longingly as she closed the gap between them with an embrace so loving, it made Adrien’s stomach do a little flutter. 

“We’ll talk about that other stuff another time…” She closed her eyes and leaned her head into the crook of his neck.

“No- I mean, I don’t- you’re kind of c-cuddling me right now?”

“Oh... sorry I didn’t ask you before, you’re just really warm and… I’m getting kind of tired. I just want to be here with you. Is this okay?” She asked in between yawns but she barely registered his answer as she slipped into a relaxed and mellow slumber.

“It’s just perfect, princess.” He could feel her chest rise and fall with her mostly steady breathing, as she dozed off. Adrien definitely didn’t expect her to crawl into his lap so abruptly. He wasn’t complaining though, if anything, this is what he was longing for since the day he fell in love with her. Peaceful admiration, just to be in her presence knowing she felt the same love for him, that he did for her. So he just rested his head on hers and leaned into her touch, wrapping his arms around her protectively. He’d probably have to tuck her in and put her to bed before he transformed and left, and there was still so much left to talk about between them, but that would have to wait. At that moment, it was just the two of them, together at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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